Race Report - Winter Series 10k

Just realized that I haven't written  my race report for the Winter Series 10k. Probably because I didn't run it as a race. It was just another run.

Well, ok, so maybe it wasn't "just another run." No I wasn't running it as a race, but it was a kind of important piece in the puzzle that is my training right now. At the end of February (just 2 weeks!!!!) I'm once again heading to Disney World to run the Princess Half. But I'm not just doing the Half. This year, runDisney has a new race on Princess Weekend and a Challenge to go with it.

The Glass Slipper Challenge consists of 2 races over 2 days - the Enchanted 10k on Saturday (the new race) and the Princess Half on Sunday. 2 races, 3 medals, (1 for each race + 1 for the challenge) and a chance to run through Disney - I'm in! (and my best running buddies - they're in too :-) )

Since I've run a 10k (more than once) and I've run half marathon (also more than once), I didn't think I'd have any trouble with the individual distances. The potential issue in my brain came from the fact that I hadn't run those distances on back to back days. 19.3 miles in 2 days is kind of a lot for me. That's an above average weekly mileage for me these days.

So I declared the first 3 weekends in February as back-to-back run weekends to get myself ready.  It just so happened that the Winter Series 10k took place during the first of those weekends. That Saturday was a beautiful day, so I took the opportunity to get the longer of the 2 runs done then. (I knew that if I waited until Sunday, I wouldn't want to run the extra miles before or after the race, since it was supposed to be rainy and cold).  So I ran my 10 miles on Saturday (first double digit run since November).

My legs were a little tired and sore on Sunday, so I planned to just take it easy at the race and just get the miles done. I told myself to not worry about what everybody else was doing and to just run what I needed to do to get to the finish line. If I was last, then I would just have to be last. I turned on my music and just focused on it and myself as I ran. I had to walk through parts of my run intervals and got too hot and had to take my jacket off and tie it around my waist. In the last mile I was kind of wishing I hadn't done that because the light sprinkle that had been going on throughout the race changed to an all out rain and it got pretty cold and miserable for a bit. (When the race photographer is sitting in his car taking pics, you know it's kind of nasty out.)

But though it was tough, wet, miserable, and I had to walk more than I anticipated, I finished. I didn't really have a goal, other than to finish, but there was a small part of me that wanted to, at the very least, finish faster than I did last year. And while I didn't really consciously try (I didn't pay much attention to my pace or time at all), I did it; not by much, but I did finish faster.

And I survived  my first back-to-back longish mile runs. Other than some tightness in my hips, I was feeling fine; a little tired, but not any more than I normally am after a run. So I count the weekend runs as a success. I now know/think that I won't have any major problems with the Disney races being so close together. If, for whatever reason, I don't get the other planned long weekend runs in (weather this winter has been horrible for outdoor running), I'm pretty sure I'll still be fine when Princess Weekend comes around.  :-)

Race Stats:
Winter Series 10k
Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014
Finish Time: 1:15:06 (nike+ time (forgot to turn off the garmin); 1:15:04 (official)
Pace: 11:56mpm (nike+)
Place: 297 of 327

Winter Series 2013-14 Overall results:
5k: 298 of 401 (32:56)
8k: 313 0f 386 (55:27)
10k: 297 of 327 (1:25:04)
Overall: 213 of 241 (2:43:27)